Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Early Saturday morning, the Miller-Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Act, H.R. 6416, passed the Senate and is now on the way to the President's Desk for signature into law. Among the 76 separate provisions of the bill are measures aimed at improving veterans' access to care, benefits, education, and homeless assistance.

Also included in the legislation are the provisions of the Toxic Exposure Research Act.

My heartfelt congratulations go to all of you who answered the call and took action, organizing over250 Agent Orange town hall meetings throughout our nation; activating your communities; and workingwith your representatives on Capitol Hill. Through your relentless perseverance, your voices havebeen heard.

This legislation, a necessary first step, will lay the groundwork for the research we needon the health of our children and grandchildren, whom we believe have been impacted by exposures during our military service­and in keeping with our founding principle, this legislation will ensure that our newer veterans will not have to wait 50 years for answers.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

The Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, after receiving a complaint letter, asked VA's OIG to investigate allegations that the Director of the Denver VA Regional Office was habitually absent from work during her designated duty hours and submitted incorrect timecards. OIG substantiated that she misused her official time when she arrived to her duty station late without taking the appropriate leave; when she was absent without leave; and when she improperly split her workday between her duty station, a non-VA location, and teleworking from home. OIG also found that she maintained an improper credit hour system for herself and her office staff. OIG did not substantiate an allegation that she was absent for several weeks at a time without taking sick leave, and OIG administratively closed that allegation. OIG discovered that VA's Office of Accountability Review (OAR) began an investigation concurrent to OIG's. To avoid any duplicative efforts, OIG accepted the misuse of time and timecard allegations, and OAR accepted all other allegations for investigation

Sign up to receive a daily summary of top diabetes newsKeep up with the latest in diabetes care, nutrition, trends and technology with a summary of stories hand-picked by expert editors. This daily newsletter for health professionals is brought to you by the American Diabetes Association and features news from HealthDay News, Reuters and other leading sources. Sign up now.

Military Health System

Surgical teams risk life and limb removing unexploded ordnance from patientsAir Force Maj. Travis Newberry, a head and neck surgeon, and colleagues described in the Journal of Neurosurgery how they removed a metal bullet that they thought might have been unexploded ordnance from a pregnant patient's cheek in Afghanistan. Though such procedures are uncommon, they do require special precautions, and the Army is due to release updated guidelines this month for removing unexploded ordnance from patients.National Public Radio (2/12)

IG's report highlights shortcomings at VA crisis hotlineSome calls to the Department of Veterans Affairs' 24-hour suicide prevention hotline main call center in Canandaigua, N.Y., have gone to voicemail or to backup centers, where staff have left some calls unanswered, according to a VA Inspector General report. The VA said it will implement the report's recommendations, including setting specific expectations for backup centers and quality assurance criteria for all calls, by Sept. 30.Daily News (New York) (2/16)

Share your story while entering to win up to $100 in gift cards at the same time! The Veterans Wellbeing Survey is a research project aimed at improving resources made available to veterans. All current and former US military service members are invited to participate in this anonymous survey today.

National Health Care

US surgeon general urges Flint, Mich., health practitioners, leaders to help residentsHealth practitioners, community leaders and faith leaders should get involved in educating residents about the issues they face regarding the water crisis in Flint, Mich., said US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. "I understand that after everything that Flint residents have been through, that they would have some trust issues when it comes to the water and to the information that they're getting," he said. "That's why it's so important in this community that trusted voices speak out, and help people get the information they need."Detroit Free Press (2/15)

Share:

Health and Medical Research

IOM: Gulf War vets should be monitored for ALS, cancerDespite spending more than $500 million on research between 1994 and 2014, the US government still has not definitely identified the health effects of serving in the 1990-91 Gulf War, an Institute of Medicine committee reported. Gulf War veterans appear to be at increased risk for chronic fatigue syndrome, digestive disorders, mental health conditions, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and sexual dysfunction, the federally funded report said. The Department of Veterans Affairs should monitor Gulf War veterans for degenerative brain diseases, such as ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as for cancer, the IOM said.HealthDay News (2/11)

AMSUS welcomes its newest membersWhether you joined AMSUS because of a referral from a current member, for a subscription to Military Medicine, discounts to the Annual Meeting and online CEs or any other reason -- welcome! See other member updates and membership benefits, including the Member-Get-a-Member program. Participants are updated monthly and posted online.

About Me

Veterans Advocate and Past Chairman of American Cold War Veterans. Veteran of
the US Army 1989-1991. Served overseas in Southwest Asia for 17 months with the
528th USAAG during the Gulf War. 100 percent Service Connected Disabled Veteran also a member of VFW Dept NY Post 53 , NY Post 001 American Legion, DAV Robert P Illig Post #47.

About Me

This material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of veterans issues, etc. This constitutes a 'fair use'of any such
copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of
the US Copyright Law. This material is distributed without profit.